While big cities like Modesto offer culture, cuisine, and charisma, they also deliver terrible traffic, towering expenses, and a taxing quality of life.
With that in mind, we wanted to uncover the best suburbs around Modesto. These burbs have all of the benefits of being near Modesto without actually having to be in the city.
Of course, not all suburbs of Modesto are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. Using Saturday Night Science, we delve into the factors that matter most, from commutes and housing costs to community vibes, to help you uncover the perfect suburban spots in the Greater Modesto area.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Modesto for 2025:
What’s the best suburb of Modesto? Ripon ranks as the best suburb of Modesto for 2025 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Ripon, you’re probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 Modesto ‘burbs better than the rest–but first, a bit about our methodology.
Feel free to check out some more reading about California:
The 10 Best Modesto Suburbs To Live For 2025
/10
Population: 16,117
Median Income: $120,061
Unemployment Rate: 2.9%
Poverty Rate: 3.5%
More on Ripon: Data
Ripon is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Modesto area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Ripon.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $120,061 a year, which is the highest in the Modesto region. And only 2.89% are out of work. Homes average more than $666,400 each.
/10
Population: 95,358
Median Income: $118,253
Unemployment Rate: 5.9%
Poverty Rate: 7.7%
More on Tracy: Data
Tracy is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Modesto for 2025.
It ranks 3rd for incomes in the area and only 5.9% of residents lack insurance, good for 11th best.
/10
Population: 86,521
Median Income: $94,718
Unemployment Rate: 6.5%
Poverty Rate: 10.4%
More on Manteca: Data
Here in Manteca, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Modesto metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Manteca.
/10
Population: 7,429
Median Income: $86,875
Unemployment Rate: 3.9%
Poverty Rate: 9.5%
More on Escalon: Data
Escalon ranks as the 4th best suburb of Modesto for 2025.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Escalon and the schools are some of the best around.
/10
Population: 7,541
Median Income: $92,303
Unemployment Rate: 6.4%
Poverty Rate: 12.2%
More on Hughson: Data
Coming in as the fifth best is Hughson.
Hughson gets kudos for having the 5th most expensive homes in the Modesto area, where houses sell for an average of $480,100. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
/10
Population: 24,306
Median Income: $93,542
Unemployment Rate: 6.0%
Poverty Rate: 8.5%
More on Patterson: Data
Patterson is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 5.98%.
According to online reports, Patterson is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Modesto area, meaning you need to get in soon.
/10
Population: 32,696
Median Income: $118,605
Unemployment Rate: 9.0%
Poverty Rate: 8.6%
More on Lathrop: Data
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Lathrop.
Lathrop schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 20.9 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 72,400
Median Income: $79,807
Unemployment Rate: 7.8%
Poverty Rate: 10.8%
More on Turlock: Data
Turlock is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 5.09% of people lack insurance, good for 6th in the area.
/10
Population: 24,881
Median Income: $90,216
Unemployment Rate: 6.6%
Poverty Rate: 13.9%
More on Riverbank: Data
Is ‘Everything Better In Riverbank?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
/10
Population: 23,155
Median Income: $86,478
Unemployment Rate: 9.5%
Poverty Rate: 13.5%
More on Oakdale: Data
And rounding out the top ten for 2025 is Oakdale.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Modesto for 2025
Figuring out the best suburbs around Modesto was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2019-2023 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Modesto.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 6,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 17 suburbs to evaluate around Modesto.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 17 in each category, where 1 was the “best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Modesto.” We’re lookin’ at you, Ripon.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2025. This report is our tenth time ranking the best Modesto suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Modesto ‘Burbs of 2025
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Modesto are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Modesto but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you.
For more California reading, check out:
Table: Best Modesto Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ripon, CA | 16,117 | $120,061 | $666,400 |
| 2 | Tracy, CA | 95,358 | $118,253 | $653,900 |
| 3 | Manteca, CA | 86,521 | $94,718 | $561,200 |
| 4 | Escalon, CA | 7,429 | $86,875 | $461,700 |
| 5 | Hughson, CA | 7,541 | $92,303 | $480,100 |
| 6 | Patterson, CA | 24,306 | $93,542 | $427,400 |
| 7 | Lathrop, CA | 32,696 | $118,605 | $605,000 |
| 8 | Turlock, CA | 72,400 | $79,807 | $443,900 |
| 9 | Riverbank, CA | 24,881 | $90,216 | $442,300 |
| 10 | Oakdale, CA | 23,155 | $86,478 | $432,800 |
| 11 | Stockton, CA | 320,470 | $76,851 | $412,900 |
| 12 | Ceres, CA | 48,918 | $76,862 | $397,200 |
| 13 | Waterford, CA | 9,177 | $73,092 | $372,900 |
| 14 | Newman, CA | 12,299 | $75,344 | $381,900 |
| 15 | Gustine, CA | 6,118 | $58,321 | $422,500 |
| 16 | Livingston, CA | 14,450 | $76,158 | $339,800 |
| 17 | Atwater, CA | 32,013 | $63,945 | $340,600 |